By reacting ethnocentrically, you emphasize the distinctions between your own culture and another person's culture.

Cultures differ in their tolerance for open disagreement.

If you don't have the time or the opportunity to learn a new language, your learning just a few words is considered insulting in most cultures.

In general, when writing to someone in another country, U.S. business people should be somewhat more formal than they would be when writing to people in their own country.

Multiple Choice

More and more companies are moving into the global marketplace, searching for new sources of (A) money; (B) customers (C) materials (D) all of the above.

to overcome cultural barriers to effective communication, you must first learn the true meaning of (A) complexity. (B) composition. (C) culture. (D) all of the above.

The greater the difference between the sender's culture and the receiver's culture, the greater the chance for (A) humor. (B) misunderstanding. (C) delay. (D) apathy.

By and large, people in the United States (A) value creating jobs more than working efficiently. (B) believe that people who work hard are no better than those who don't work hard. (C) dislike poverty and value hard work. (D) condemn materialism and prize a carefree lifestyle.

When it comes to decision-making customs, U.S. executives (A) try to reach decisions as quickly and as efficiently as possible. (B) prefer to make their deals slowly, after much discussion. (C) spend a lot of time on each little point to display their good faith. (D) arrive at decisions through consensus, after an elaborate and time-consuming process.

During a business conversation, people in the United States and Canada usually stand (A) less than twelve inches apart. (B) about five feet apart. (C) about eight feet apart. (D) more than twelve feet apart.

When you violate informal rules of social behavior, members of a culture (A) can usually explain why they feel upset. (B) may not be able to explain why they feel upset. (C) are unlikely to notice such an unimportant mistake. (D) will cheerfully correct your oversight and quickly forget the incident.

People who use English as a second language can still have problems with (A) vocabulary. (B) pronunciation. (C) usage. (D) all of the above.

which of the following sentences contains an idiomatic expression? (A)Our product does not operate properly. (B) Our product doesn't cut the mustard. (C) Our product hasn't done as well as expected. (D) Our product could end up costing us dearly.

When speaking in English to people who speak English as a second language, (A) forget about feedback, just make sure you get your message across. (B) repeat your sentences often, a little louder each time. (C) try to eliminate noise by pronouncing words clearly. (D) use plenty of adjectives such asfantastic and fabulous.

When you react ethnocentrically, you (A) assume that others will act the same way you do. (B) recognize the differences that exist between your culture and that of another. (C) focus on the possibility that your words and actions will be misunderstood. (D) do all of the above.

Taking responsibility for communication means (A) not assuming it's the other person's job to communicate with you. (B) taking the initiative to greet new people in new situations. (C) admitting the mistakes you make when communicating across cultures. (D) having the ability to blame step right person when communication breaks down.

Short Answer

Define culture.

Discuss three of nine ways people can differ culturally.

Briefly tell how one would learn about a different culture.

Discuss three or four general skills to help communicate in any culture.